


If We Were Different People

by AliceEdwins, hiiimaugust



Series: The Emily/Reese Multiverse [2]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Flirting, With Bible Verses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 15:39:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11466564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceEdwins/pseuds/AliceEdwins, https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiiimaugust/pseuds/hiiimaugust
Summary: A trader's daughter briefly meets the General of the Minutemen





	If We Were Different People

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something light hearted and the first couple paragraphs of this have just been chilling around so here it is.

Emily felt a pair of eyes on her as she strapped a crate of goods onto Betsy, their pack Brahmin. She suspected the eyes were focused on her butt. Her face burned with embarrassment but she kept at her work. Kneeling to make sure the straps weren't too close to the utter, she heard someone get slapped.

"Keep your eyes off my daughter," Reese growled. "Unless you're planning on marrying her."

Emily kept her groan inside her head. Of course Dad would pull that card. He always did, whenever he caught a settlement boy looking at her. One of these days, someone was going to say yes. She'd been traveling with him and her two older brothers for a few months, when Mama convinced him she needed to see the world. Mostly it involved getting dirty and looking after Betsy. She loved it. It beat hiding out from raiders on the farm with Mama and her sister-in-law.

"Well, I'm not sure if I could make that kind of decision without getting to know her first." Whomever her admire was, he had a nice voice. She couldn't make sense of her reaction but she obviously liked it. Although she'd finished her task, she stayed in position, worried Dad or one of her brothers would notice her reaction.

Ezra laughed. "Careful, General Fromm. Dad might take you up on it. He's always going on about how Em needs to settle down."

"Yet he barks at anyone who makes eyes at her," Enoch countered. "It's been an ongoing thing she started her monthlies."

"Hey! My monthlies are nobody's business!" She stood up and crossed her arms.

General Fromm gave her a gentle smile. She'd never seen him up close before. Their family caravan had never been in the same settlement as the man but she decided she instantly liked him. His honey brown eyes twinkled with mischief, and he had broad shoulders and the nicest smile she'd ever seen. He was older than her, probably by five or six years, Ezra's age. She tried to keep eye contact but suddenly couldn't.

"Em, huh?" he offered a handshake. "General Nate Fromm, Commonwealth Minutemen."

"Emily," she corrected, shaking the hand. It felt warm. She hated letting it go. "I don't like being called Em much. I, huh, look after Betsy?" Looking after a Brahmin didn't compare to being the General of the Minutemen.

"You sound unsure." She wasn't sure why but his smile made her feel weak in the knees.

Enoch laughed. "Em gets nervous easy. She's never really left the farm."

Dad looked ready to say something but General Fromm spoke first. "You look a little warm. Why don't you find some shade?"

She turned even redder. True, it was warm, but she was pretty sure her warmth was coming from something besides the sun. She looked at Dad, hoping for permission. His glare softened at her expression. "Go ahead, Emily."

She booked it to the nearest covered area and leaned against a pole. Her hands shook, something that happened a lot when she got nervous. She thought about having what Enoch had with his wife a lot, boys, girls, it didn't matter. During boring moments on the trails, she'd put a random face she'd met into her daydreams, think about getting away from her family, maybe a little kissing. She couldn't imagine much more than that. The noises Enoch and Hannah made when they were together at night intrigued her but no explained sex to her. Everything about how they insisted on sheltering her frustrated her. She was twenty for Pete's sake!

God pardon taking a saint's name in vain.

Emily leaned her head against the pole, hoping the embarrassment and frustration pass. _Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God,_ she recited to herself. Of course Enoch would tease her. He nearly always did. He was only 23, newly married to a pretty girl, and still a boy, in Emily's mind.

General Fromm appeared with a can of purified water. "Are you alright?"

She took the water, ignoring the slight jolt when their fingers brushed. "Yeah. Brothers are stupid."

"I was an only child, but I can imagine that being the youngest isn't easy. I gotta ask though, which one is which?"

"Ezra's the older one, Enoch's the tall one with the glasses."

"How did you end up an Emily?"

"It's only part of my name," she admitted. "My full name is Emily Keren-Happuch Kristofferson." 

Instead of laughing or struggling to pronounce the old Biblical name, General Fromm's smile widened. "And in all the land were no found so fair as the daughters of Job. Fitting."

 _He's using scripture to call me pretty._ She turned redder. "Thank you."

Suddenly she heard Ezra and Dad arguing. If Dad worried about Emily remaining unmarried, he worried doubly about Ezra. Reese suspected that the oldest Kristofferson child was gay but in actuality, he'd fallen for a woman in the Brotherhood of Steel. Emily was pretty sure she was the only one who knew he was writing letters and paying people to take them to the Cambridge Police Station. She didn't know how they met, just that the girl's name was Haylen. It was kinda sweet. Ezra's intention of joining the Brotherhood as soon as Emily got used to being on the trail made her feel both sad and ecstatic.

Ezra wasn't a trader or a homesteader. He liked books, writing, and tinkering with their water purifier. It was kinda funny, because it was Enoch who needed glasses.

She knew it must have been bad because Enoch stepped between them. "Dad, please. Now isn't the time. We can talk about this later. People are staring."

Emily sighed. She doubted Ezra would tell the truth any time soon. He liked having secrets.

She and General Fromm slid into a comfortable silence as Ezra walked away to cool his temper. She thought about asking about his Pip Boy, if he was from a Vault, but she found she prefered the quiet companionship.

General Fromm opened his own water and started sipping as well.

Eventually, Ezra returned and Dad called for her. She sighed and handed General Fromm her empty can. "Thank you for the water, sir," she whispered. "I gotta go. Trades to make."

"Please, call me Nate. See you later."

Judging by the look on Dad's face, she'd never be seeing Nate later. Darn it. He sure was pretty to look at.

**Author's Note:**

> Jayce if you're reading this, please don't do something. There should be another Paper Doll chapter later tonight.


End file.
